Is turnover crazy in your office? Do you find that people seem unsatisfied – or worse, actually unhappy in their jobs?
There are many reasons that employees find themselves unhappy at work. Some of them are out of our control – but many things can be done to help.
The first place to look is at our own management style.
Just like an ant that burns under the concentrated focus of the sun’s rays through a magnifying glass, so too do good employees burn out under the intense scrutiny of a micro-manager. While some employees warrant constant attention and assistance, most are capable and need room to do their jobs well.
Several things happen when employees are micromanaged – but almost NONE of them are increased productivity, better quality work, and employee longevity.
Here are a few tips to avoid pushing good workers out of your business through micromanagement:
- When hiring, complete due diligence on the applicant’s abilities, including reference checks, appropriate interview questions that help derive their ability, task completion, and request for collateral materials (like portfolio work and other work examples).
- Once hired, provide adequate training for your new employee. Make sure they have all of the education necessary to complete the work that you expect from them, including software/application training, industry-specific information, and company-specific coaching.
- Set realistic and specific expectations. Do you require set hours? Say so. Are employees supposed to respond to email outside of office hours? Make sure they are aware of when they are on call.
- Ensure that the employee knows what the job goals and targets are and stick to them. Employees find it impossible to hit moving targets, so be realistic with changes.
- Create milestones at which times the employee can expect a review of their progress.
- Make sure that the employee knows that they can come to you with questions and needs for clarification and help. (Employees are more hesitant to show a micro-manager their concerns and potential shortcomings.)